N E W H O R I Z O N Sexploring music that pushed the boundaries of art and culture

2017 | 2018

James Kennerley, Music Director www.arsmusica.org

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Dear Friends,

I am deeply honored to lead Ars Musica as their new Music Director in the Chorale’s 52nd season. Our theme is New Horizons, showcasing music that pushed the boundaries of art and culture to new and exciting heights. We look forward to presenting concerts of some of the most glorious and thrilling music of all time, featuring many of the finest vocalists and instrumentalists of Ridgewood, New York City, and beyond.

This season, revisit masterpieces by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Johann Sebastian Bach. Explore the brilliant music of George Gershwin and his contemporary, Francis Poulenc. Be transported during our spectacular Holiday Celebration, featuring readings and music for the Christmas and Hanukkah season, performed together with our very own New Jersey State Children’s Chorus.

In this climate of uncertainty and divisiveness two things are certain: we all need community and we all need music. The arts invite us to explore and understand ourselves and others. Music

allows us to gather in a singular space to enjoy timeless works that enable audience members and performers alike to transcend the clamor of everyday life.

Ars Musica is committed to engaging in the cultural life of our community in Bergen County and beyond. The New Jersey State Children’s Chorus (NJSCC) was founded in 2016 and is the only choir of its kind to provide essential education and outreach in the area. The Encore Young Artist Program (EYAP) demonstrates our commitment to developing the careers of emerging professional vocalists by providing expert performance and educational opportunities.

Ars Musica Chorale is one of the finest and oldest choral groups in Bergen County. Come and experience the thrilling sound of 80 voices performing some of the greatest music in stunning venues. We can’t wait to welcome you!

With my very best wishes,

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CONCERTS

Celestial Harmonies 4 Heavenly choral music by Rachmaninoff and Samuel Barber

An Ars Musica Holiday Celebration 5 A joyful procession through cultures and centurieswith the New Jersey State Children’s Chorus

Porgy in Paris 6 Music by Francis Poulenc and George Gershwin

Masterworks Concert 7Johann Sebastian Bach: Mass in B Minorwith Adelphi Orchestra

ABOUT ARS MUSICA

History 10

Board of Directors 10

Tickets 11

Sponsorships 11

Venues 11

ENCORE YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM

Program 8

2017-18 Young Artists 9

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Celestial HarmoniesSATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2017 | 7:30PMBethlehem Lutheran Church, Ridgewood

Samuel Barber: Agnus Dei (Adagio for Strings)Sergei Rachmaninoff: Vespers (All-night Vigil), Opus 37

RUN TIME: 75 minutes total. No intermission.

Our season opens with a concert featuring works for a cappella choir by two of the finest composers of the 20th century. Samuel Barber composed his String Quartet in 1936. Its celebrated Adagio movement has been called “simple and beautiful.” In 1967 Barber set the music to the prayerful words of the Agnus dei to create a highly passionate and dynamic piece. Sergei Rachmaninoff ’s Vespers (properly entitled the All-night Vigil) was written and premiered in 1915 in Moscow. While he is most well-known for the virtuosic piano concertos and decadent symphonic music, the beauty and power of the All-night Vigil brings us to the very heart of Russian musical tradition — combining Russian Orthodox chants with romantic harmonies, creating a rich color palette that at times features eleven-part harmonies!

PRE-SALE Adult $25 | Senior $20

DAY-OF Adult $30 | Senior $25

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Ars Musica’s Holiday CelebrationSATURDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2017 | 7:00PMBethlehem Lutheran Church, Ridgewood

American spirituals, Hanukkah songs, traditional carols and more presented with NJ State Children’s Chorus

RUN TIME: 80 minutes total. No intermission.

Join us for a spectacular candlelight holiday concert featuring traditional and not-so-traditional music and readings for Christmas, Hanukkah, and more composed over a span of eight centuries. Let Ars Musica Chorale and our Children’s Chorus take you on a magical journey to distant lands, featuring tales of donkeys, shepherds and sleigh bells, with Hanukkah songs and Christmas carols for everyone to sing!

We’re delighted to welcome our surprise celebrity guest who will give readings by Charles Dickens, Christina Rossetti, and others.

The music will include selections by Eric Whitacre, John Rutter, Irving Berlin, and our very own Music Director, James Kennerley, as well as a surprise visit from Charlie Brown, Linus, and Lucy. We will even celebrate a Californian Christmas with selections by Irving Berlin and friends. Don’t miss it!

PRE-SALE Adult $25 | Senior $20

DAY-OF Adult $30 | Senior $25

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Porgy

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Porgy in ParisSATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2018 | 7:30PMBethlehem Lutheran Church, Ridgewood

Francis Poulenc: Stabat MaterGeorge Gershwin: Porgy and Bess (abridged)

RUN TIME: 80 minutes total. No intermission.

George Gershwin and Francis Poulenc wrote some of the jazziest music of the twentieth century, and both men wrote music that pushed the boundaries of their respective cultures. We explore two contrasting works, Poulenc’s powerful Stabat Mater and a concert performance of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Born within a few months of each other, the two composers could not have come from more contrasting backgrounds. Poulenc was raised in a wealthy, pious Roman Catholic Parisian family. Gershwin, on the other hand, was raised in the tenements of NYC to a working-class, Russian-Ukrainian Jewish family.

Don’t miss Porgy in Paris - two game-changing works from Amer-ica and France. Our Encore Young Artists join us as soloists for the evening.

PRE-SALE Adult $25 | Senior $20

DAY-OF Adult $30 | Senior $25

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Masterworks ConCert

SATURDAY, MAY 19, 2018 | 7:00PMWest Side Presbyterian Church, Ridgewood

Johann sebastian baCh: Mass in b Minor in partnership with Adelphi Orchestra

RUN TIME: 1 hr 50 excluding intermission.

Ars Music Chorale returns to the unparalleled acoustics of West Side Presbyterian Church in a performance of the boundary-breaking masterpiece by Johann Sebastian Bach, the Mass in B Minor. We’re delighted to be partnering with the acclaimed Adelphi Orchestra to present this season’s Masterworks Concert. The Mass in B Minor is one of the greatest—perhaps the greatest—musical works of art, a revolutionary tour-de-force of styles, genres, orchestration, and instrumental and vocal virtuosity, and human emotion and understanding.

“The Mass in B Minor is truly the mountain peak of Bach’s musical output, showcasing his mastery of every aspect of compositional technique available to him.” says Music Director James Kennerley. Join Ars Musica Chorale, the Encore Young Artists, and theAdelphi Orchestra in an unforgettable performance.

PRE-SALE Adult $30 | Senior $25

DAY-OF Adult $35 | Senior $30

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For over fifty years, Ars Musica has been committed to providing Northern New Jersey area residents with opportunities to create and hear excellent programs of a wide range of choral music. We are proud to take a bold step in supporting and training the next generation of choral artists by establishing The Encore Young Artist Program. In today’s economic climate, versatility and diverse skills have proved to be invaluable to the success of aspiring artists. We seek to give opportunities to exceptional emerging musicians to broaden and deepen their musical experiences while gaining important skills for a lifelong career in music.

The Encore Young Artists Program is entering its third season and will continue to be an ongoing program for Ars Musica. Ars Musica is dedicated to the education and promotion of choral arts for career singers, as well as avocational members, and the public at large.

The idea for a training program for professional singers in the early stages of their career began in 2012 under then Music Director Kelly Crandell as an unpaid vocal internship. The program was reconstituted as the Encore Young Artist Program for the 2014-2015 season as a paid educational program for four talented singers and has since grown in scope, pay, and opportunity due to the enthusiastic response of applicants, Ars Musica members, and audiences.

Additionally, Masterclasses featuring the young artists not only benefit the artists, but also serve as educational opportunities for those in attendance. Past Encore Young Artists have gone on to perform in Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall; at the prestigious Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, S.C.; at the highly regarded Sarasota Opera, and in various European venues.

This year’s Young Artists will support their respective chorus sections and will be our exciting soloists throughout the 2017-2018 season. Learn more about each of these talented singers online at www.arsmusica.org/eyap.

2017-18 Season Encore Young Artists pictured on next page. Top left to right, Samina Aslam, soprano; Jeremy Hirsch, baritone. Bottom left to right, Ravon Middlebrooks, tenor; Allison Gish, mezzo-soprano

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Ars Musica began as a small community chorus in 1965. More than fifty years later, Ars Musica continues to offer singers the opportunity to perform a wide variety of great music.

Recognized as one of the most accomplished choruses in the area, the chorus has regularly been invited to perform as guest artist in such venues as Carnegie Hall (with Opera Orchestra of New York), Columbia University’s landmark St. Paul’s Chapel, and St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Paterson, NJ. The Chorale has traveled abroad, performing throughout Europe and as far as St. Petersburg, Russia. A highlight of Ars Musica’s tour of Austria in 2006, Mozart’s commemorative year, was the group’s participation in the Salzburg Choral Festival.

Our performances adhere to the highest standards, as we continue to dedicate ourselves to upholding the heritage of greatness and beauty in choral music. Our roster includes professional singers and dedicated amateurs, all of whom devote hours each week to rehearsals and supporting activities. Many of our members have belonged to Ars Musica for a decade or more, and form the core of this highly cooperative and cohesive group; newcomers are always sought and welcome. Our rehearsals are distinguished by a genuine sense of camaraderie among the members who come together to sing some of the world’s most beautiful choral compositions.

Board of Directors

Mark Kantrowitz, PresidentPeggy Brizzolara, VP of OperationsPaul Donohoe, VP of FinanceNicholas Bell, TreasurerMarjorie Winters, SecretaryCecilia Doris, Membership DirectorDaniella AshbahianSandra BarrDennis BrizzolaraRichard CantorJoseph ChristensenLinda GlasgalWilliam KempeyDejah Olsen

Staff

James Kennerley, Music DirectorNadezhda Christova, Pianist

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TICKETS

Season Tickets are available until November 10, 2017. Take advantage of reduced rates and never miss a performance. Purchase at www.arsmusica.org/tickets or by detaching and returning the order form on

Ars Musica Chorale, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

SPONSORSHIPS

Promote your business and support the arts when you purchase an ad in Ars Musica’s concert programs or spon-sor the Spring Gala. To learn more about opportunities and benefits, visit www.arsmusica.org/sponsor or email info@arsmusica.org.

o 1 Adult, $90 x Qty _______ = _______________

o 1 Senior, $85 x Qty _______ = ______________

Additional Donation : _______________

Total : ________________

SEASON TICKETS ORDER FORM

Name: _____________________________________

Address: ____________________________________

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Phone: _____________________________________

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PAYMENT

o Check Enclosed o AMEX o DISC o MC o VISA

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Exp. Date: __________ Sec. Code: ______________

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VENUES

Bethlehem Lutheran Church155 Linwood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450(201) 444-3600

West Side Presbyterian Church6 South Monroe Street, Ridgewood, NJ 07450(201) 652-1966

James Kennerley, Music Director

This program is made possible in part by a grant administered by the Bergen County Divison of Cultural & Historic Affairs from funds granted by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Large print programs available upon request. All concert venues are wheelchair accessible. Sign language interpreter at select concerts.

Ars Musica Chorale, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

Enjoy the savings

of season tickets!

Available online until November 10th at www.arsmusica.org/tickets.